New record striped bass

Posted by Brent on 6/05/10 • Categorized as Fish/Hunt,WildBlog

Angler Jonathan VanHook and his new state record striped bass

You might not think central Indiana is a striped bass hotspot, but don’t tell that to Rockville Police officer Jonathan VanHook. He took time out of a busy schedule to land a new state-record striped bass.

The new record fish came from Cecil M. Hardin Reservoir (commonly known as Racooon Lake) near Rockville. The 39.09 pound, 42.25-inch monster eclipsed the old record by over four pounds. That fish was caught in the Ohio River in 1993.

VanHook was trolling a live bluegill on a downrigger on his friend Shay Vandivier’s boat. He was also assisted by another friend, Cory Hutchins, during the 15-minute fight.

According to a press release from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, IDNR fisheries biologist Rhett Wisener says that Raccoon Lake possibly hasn’t given up it’s biggest fish yet. Though DNR survey gear can only capture 20-25 pound fish, Wisener said, “There are fish in there much larger than that, but they’re difficult to catch in the gear we’re using. I’ve told some people we’ve still not seen the full potential at Harden. Maybe the limit is 39 or 40 pounds, but it could be bigger than that. We just don’t know. It’s surprising us each year how it continues to produce big fish, particularly this year.”

Link to DNR press release